UN Official Warns Ukraine Must Repair Power System Before -20C Winter

Alexander De Croo is a top United Nations official. He leads the UN development agency and is the third most important official there. He spoke to the BBC from Ukraine.

He said Ukraine is facing its hardest winter since Russia's full invasion in 2022. He also said Russia is attacking Ukraine's power system, so repair teams are in a race to fix it before the cold arrives. Ukrainian winters can reach minus 20C. If the power system fails, homes may not be able to run heaters. Water and waste systems could also stop working. De Croo said this would be "really close to humanitarian catastrophe," a disaster for many people.

Russia is also attacking petrol stations, shopping malls and business centres, De Croo said. "There is absolutely no justification for that," he said. Both Russia and Ukraine deny that they target civilian infrastructure on purpose. This means things people use every day.

The UN Development Programme is helping to rebuild parts of the power system damaged last winter. It is also putting in more power plants in different places, so they are harder to attack. De Croo called this "almost an impossible task." Repair teams work while air alarms warn of attacks, and the places they fix are also targets.

Attacks from the air have increased in recent months. This week, a drone strike on a shopping mall in Pavlohrad killed five people and wounded 67, Ukrainian officials said. So the race to repair power before winter is also a race to prevent a disaster for many people.